Turkish foreign minister, UN chief discuss Black Sea grain deal

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish foreign minister and UN secretary general spoke over the phone on Monday and discussed the latest developments regarding the Black Sea grain deal, which is expiring today.

Turkish diplomatic sources shared no further details about the phone call between Hakan Fidan and Antonio Guterres.

The phone call came after Russia suspended its participation in the deal that was signed by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine in July last year to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which had been paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began that February.

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin said that the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented.

Speaking to reporters, Guterres "deeply" regretted Russia’s decision, saying: "Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that despite Moscow's suspension of from the deal, he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the agreement to continue.

The Black Sea grain agreement went down in history as a diplomatic success, Erdogan stressed, adding that Türkiye has always attached importance to the initiative's continuation and has intensified diplomatic efforts to this end.